Mirror Image
by Leonais Frostwind
Summary: Harry and Hermione unknowingly share a secret that nobody else knows about. Both have Multiple Personality Disorder. After the disaster at the Department of Mysteries, Harry and Hermione's alters have come out to raise a little hell. H/Hr main pairing.


Mirror Image

My response to beanacre0's challenge with a twist: Harry Potter and Hermione Granger have been keeping a very powerful secret. Unknown to both of them, they have Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). After Sirius and Hermione's parents die, both Harry and Hermione's alter egos come forth. Set during Order of the Phoenix after the Department of Mysteries and continues to post- Deathly Hallows.

Harry's alternate personality is called Leon Cross. He looks the same as Harry, but with sapphire blue eyes instead of emerald green. Leon also has streaks of silver running through Harry's normally jet-black hair. Unlike Harry, Leon is assertive, confident, and not afraid to get his hands dirty. He also showcases Harry's suppressed intellect, and knows Muggle self-defense methods as well as magical.

Hermione's alter-ego is called Mia Granger. She retains Hermione's intelligence and high regard of rules, but enjoys a good prank and is more assertive and confident than normal. Also, while no slouch when it comes to schoolwork, Mia doesn't devote all of her time studying. Mia has the same brown eyes Hermione has, but they're flecked with emerald green around the pupils. Her hair is the same as well, but with streaks of red thrown into the mix.

Like Harry's alternate, Mia is knowledgeable in Muggle self-defense tactics and is not afraid of getting her hands dirty.

Main Pairings: Harry/Hermione; Neville/Ginny;Draco/Luna

Side Pairings: Remus/Amelia; Fred/Angelina; George/Susan

Inspired by rangerhero's take on this challenge.

_"There is no more time for apologies.  
Never let emotions take hold of me.  
__Are you ready to begin you trip to the other side?  
Death is an old friend of mine."_

_-"Old Friend" by Disturbed on "The Lost Children" (2011)_

* * *

Prologue: Tragedy and Secrets Revealed

Hermione Granger walked nervously and slowly towards the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason for her slow and nervous pace: she had just found out that after the little escapade into the Department of Mysteries she partook in, Hermione's parents were murdered by Death Eaters. They had been on their way home from their dental practice when Antonin Dolohov, the same Death Eater that nearly killed Hermione, used an overpowered Blasting Curse on the Grangers' car. The official story was that they were killed by a car bomb. She was still reeling from the shock of losing her parents, and for a brief moment, Hermione figured this was how Harry felt after Sirius died.

Shaking herself mentally, Hermione soldiered on to the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. After giving the password, she climbed the stairs to see Harry already in the office. Gently knocking on the open door to make her presence known, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, waved her in. After she got settled, Dumbledore began speaking.

"Harry, Hermione, I'm terribly sorry for your losses." Dumbledore said, using Hermione's first name for the first time.

"It's alright, Professor. It's still a bit of a shock though." Hermione replied, hiding her pain very well.

Dumbledore, for his part, didn't believe that Hermione was completely over her grief, but said nothing of it. However, he returned to the task at hand: revealing important information concerning the two Gryffindors seated before him. But first, he needed to make sure Harry and Hermione weren't alone to deal with the conditions they carried.

"Harry, if you have anything to say to Hermione, I'd say now's the time." Dumbledore said.

Nodding, Harry turned to look Hermione directly in the eye. He then started to speak.

"Hermione, what I'm about to tell you hasn't been shared with anyone else. The only people who know are Dumbledore and McGonagall."

"What, Harry? Just tell me." Hermione demanded, not realizing how fast she lost her patience.

As if she never interrupted, Harry said, "I have Multiple Personality Disorder."

The minute Harry's confession reached her ears, Hermione gasped and said, "You too?"

"What do you mean, 'you too'?"

"Harry, I've Multiple Personality Disorder as well."

Surprised, Harry then turned to Dumbledore and asked if he could explain his disorder to Hermione. Dumbledore agreed.

"Very well, Harry. If that's what you want. Hermione, since you already know what Multiple Personality Disorder is, I will just describe Harry's alter ego and how he acquired it."

"Harry first developed MPD in your third year. It was after he overheard Hagrid and Fudge talking about Sirius and his parents. He came to me after your Time Turner adventure. It was there I met Harry's alternate personality."

"You must understand, Hermione, that at first I was quite concerned about this. But, in my sessions with Harry, I gradually got to know the alternate him. Harry still looks the same after the personality changes, but there are a few key differences. First off, before I describe the physical differences, let me tell you the name of Harry's alternate. His name is Leon Cross, and while he is essentially the same person, Leon has very distinct behavioral differences: first, Leon showcases Harry's intelligence much more than Harry himself does. Secondly, Leon is much more assertive and confident, he's no slouch on schoolwork, but can have fun as well. Third and final thing, Leon has knowledge of Muggle self-defense: firearms, knives, and a combination of unarmed combat drawing from the training of American Marines, American Navy SEALs, and Filipino Marines. As for a physical description, he has sapphire blue eyes instead of Harry's green ones, and streaks of silver in his black hair."

Dumbledore stopped there, allowing Hermione to mull over the information she received. After a few minutes, Hermione began to describe her alter ego and how she developed MPD.

"I developed MPD when I was nine. One of the kids at the Muggle school I went to was always bullying me. One day, he decided that just embarrassing me wasn't enough, and he punched me in the face several times. He was just about to move on to kicking me after I went down when I snapped. The next I knew, I had somehow knocked him down and broke his arm."

"When my parents came to pick me up, I described everything, even though I had no memory of my actions during the fight. They took me to a psychiatrist. At first, they thought I was merely having anger management issues, but eventually he diagnosed me with MPD. My alternate is called Mia, and like your alternate Harry, Mia is no slouch on schoolwork, but she doesn't completely devote herself to it like I do. She also enjoys a good prank, and as I later discovered, has the same Muggle defense training Leon does. Her eyes are the same as mine, but with a ring of emerald green around the pupil and the edge of the iris. She has red streaks through her hair when she comes out."

With those revelations out of the way, Dumbledore told both Harry and Hermione about a prophecy that involved them. Its exact words were these:

_The ones to defeat the Dark Lord approach.  
__Despite the tragedies that they have withstood, their inner warriors will come forth.  
They will face hardship and eventually be betrayed by one they trust most.  
But they will prevail.  
_

After Harry and Hermione finished their conversation with the Headmaster, they were excused to their common room to prepare for their departure to King's Cross. When they boarded the Hogwarts Express after the Leaving Feast, Harry decided to talk to Hermione about her alternate some more.

"Hey Hermione, would you like to talk some more about our alternate personalities?" Harry asked.

Thinking it over for a few moments, Hermione replied, "Sure, we probably should before telling anyone else."

With that, the duo settled down in the compartment after packing their luggage. After a few minutes of silence, Harry decided to talk first.

"I'm not really sure how to explain this, so bear with me while I attempt my explanation. When I was around six, my uncle had just finished his latest bout of 'stamping out the freakishness' in me. This was after I was showing accidental magic. Leon was originally an imaginary friend that I dreamed up to have someone to talk to. Eventually, I started thinking of him as an older brother to confide in. It got to the point where Leon's personality would leak through mine. How about you, Hermione? Where did Mia's personality come from?"

Hermione took a deep breath before speaking.

"Harry, I was supposed to have a twin sister. Her name would have been Mia."

"What do you mean, 'would have'?"

"Mia died in the womb. There had been a complication with my mum's pregnancy. Mia was stillborn, but we didn't know what caused it. When I was diagnosed with MPD, the psychiatrist made the discovery that Mia had somehow implanted her psyche deep within my mind. So, in a way, Mia has always been with me even though she's dead."

"I'm sorry to hear about your sister, Hermione. I'm also sorry to hear about your parents." Harry said, seeing the saddened look on his best friend's face. However, there was something else on Harry's mind: where was Hermione going to spend the summer? This worried Harry greatly.

If he only knew...

* * *

There we go, prologue is done!

Big thanks go to luvsanime02 for the constructive feedback and thanks for the insight on psychology terminology.

Enjoy!

Leo


End file.
